chore
noun
a small or odd job; routine task.
chore
1
British
/ tʃɔː /
noun
-
a small routine task, esp a domestic one
-
an unpleasant task
-chore
2
British
combining form
Synonym Usage
See task.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chore
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English char, Old English cyrr, variant of cierr, cerr. See char 3
Explanation
A chore is a duty or task you’re obligated to perform, often one that is unpleasant but necessary. Washing the dishes is a chore, and so is completing a homework assignment you aren’t excited about. Sometimes a thing that you wanted to do can become a chore if it ceases to be fun or interesting. Maybe Napoleon felt that conquering nations had become a chore by the time he was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo. The noun chore dates from the 18th century, when there were fewer appliances and more household tasks that needed to be done.
Vocabulary lists containing chore
A Single Shard
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Elijah of Buxton
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Sula
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It makes going to work a joy, not a chore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
He says he outsourced the "chore" to an AI agent - a tool that can carry out online tasks autonomously.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I did some outdoor sports for about an hour and then came home and spent several hours doing every chore that had been piling up all week.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
A $239 made-in-America chore coat from defense-tech giant Palantir, released in April, sold out within hours, according to the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Ordinarily, Nhamo would have enjoyed the chore, but her pleasure was spoiled by her cousin’s triumph.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
I like to wake up at 7 a.m. to get my day started and do some chores, so going to sleep past midnight really takes a toll.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Within the anime, there are daemons that help and assist the chores of daily life, and that to me I find quite attractive. Like folding the laundry.”
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Buddhism-themed tourism is thriving and tens of thousands of locals and foreigners sign up every year for "temple stay" retreats where they eat simple monastic food, do chores and meditate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
They have their uses, he says, but will never be able to tackle complicated situations in the real world, like getting a robot to do household chores.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
That way he could do some of his homeschool work before chores.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
